The Grand Cafe in Oxford

Went in here for tea and cake whilst visiting Oxford. No greeting from waitress just " Do you want afternoon tea?" The place was almost empty but we were shown to the worst possible table squeezed into a corner , waitress then walked off. When the party at the next table began using foul language we got up and left. Far nicer places in Oxford, avoid this one.

If it were possible to give this place 0 stars I would. As I arrived there was one other table present, a table of one person, sat at one of the nice spacious tables of 4. I then entered and asked to sit at one of the nice tables. The waitress looked at me and told me no, I had to sit on one of the small tables. I could understand if the venue was busy, or expecting to be busy, but I can confirm my entire rest of the stay no more than 2 other tables arrived. The waitress clearly decided she did not like me and treated me poorly as such. First she rushed me to order. Then once I had ordered, the waitress poured my orange juice, then put it on the counter and proceeded to take a phone call, whilst my drink was just sat there. As it was taking a long time to arrive, despite me clearly being able to see it, and the waitress being otherwise more interested in her phone call then serving me, I took my tablet out to check my emails. At this point I was the only customer in the entire establishment. She came and told me off. Again, I can understand if this is a venue principle, especially when it is busy, but it was completely empty except for me, I had not got my laptop out and started typing on a laptop, and the manner in which she came and told me off and treated me, that is entirely unacceptable. Had my food not arrived within a minute of that interaction I would have walked out. It is a shame as the food was rather lovely, the chef seemed very nice, he told me it was in fact okay I had briefly got my tablet out as it was empty, it is just policy of the place, but this time it was fine, the waitress then stated she did not know whether it was okay or not and left. Then two other tables arrived, both of which she greeted with a smile, and a far better attitude than she had given to me at any point. Clearly she had decided she did not like me and discriminated against me as such. I will certainly not be coming back. And frankly am appalled and offended at the way I was treated at an otherwise lovely venue.

Auf unserem Tagestrip nach Oxford haben wir hier köstliche warme Scones mit Clotted Cream und einen leckeren Tee genossen.Bedienung freundlich und auf zackig. Preislich ok.

Supercilious manager asked ‘are you here to dine?’ (at 3.30 pm), smirked, and said ‘we’re only taking orders for dining’. Half the tables were empty. Walked away from me during a chat about the importance of customer relations. Clearly can’t be … just can’t be.

Despite reasing somewhat poor reviews of the place, some friends and I decided to try this cafe on a Sunday afternoon. I had tried once before a few years before but was turned away because it was approaching closing time. We arrived about an hour before the website and the times on the door said the cafe would close, but the staff told us that although we could order, they would be closing the cafe in 15 minutes’ time. I clarified if that meant we had 15 minutes to order but could stay until closing time, or closing completely and asking custoners to acate the premises. The waitress said it would be the latter. When I enquired why when the published opening hours were different, she said the staff would closeup if it wasn’t busy. It was about a third full at the time. Why bother publishing opening hours if you’re not going to stick to them? We toom K our business elsewhere.

It was mid afternoon and we wanted to go in just for tea. On entry we were asked if we wanted lunch. When I said no the waitress said they were only doing food with drinks not drinks alone so would we have cake. We agreed to this and went in. The place wasn't busy but they squashed everyone on the tables against the wall so there was no space between one group and the next. Throughout our visit two waitresses stood against the counter behind our table chatting, fiddling with their hair and, what felt like to us, watching our every move, facial expression and gesture. It was awful. From the menu we chose one scone with cream no jam, one raspberry and almond tart, one English Breakfast tea and one Lady Grey tea. When it came the scone looked like it was mass produced, like the ones from the supermarket - regular in shape, level on the top and lacking in colour. It tasted bland and undercooked. The raspberry and almond tart was pretty tasteless, it was just sweet, with thick stodgy pastry on the base and sides, a very soggy bottom, no almond flavour at all and very soft raspberries without any tang. The English Breakfast tea was very weak, lacking in tea leaves and the Lady Grey was over scented, far too perfumed. The nail in the coffin was the bill. We knew the place wasn't the cheapest but I was flabbergasted - £30.08 for effectively two substandard pots of tea and two uninspiring cakes. Later in our visit to Oxford, we frequented a less 'grand' cafe where the scones and tea were far better, the ambience more relaxed and the staff more pleasant and friendly.

We called in here after work one evening for a cup of tea and a waffle with ice cream. It was pricey but was quite honestly the best cup of tea I’ve ever tasted! And the waffle with icecream was also super.

Not been there for a long time and really disappointed. Very expensive drinks: herbal teas cost £5.50 for tea leaves and hot water, similarly expensive hot chocolate was only Cadburys. Order taken for an almond croissant but had to come back to us as out of stock. When it came to paying they couldn't split the bill for the 3 of us, either on cards or in cash, even though the bill was clearly itemised and consisted of 3 items. Wont be going again any time soon.

Good for gluten free. My mum had some GF scones and she very much enjoyed. They also seemed to have a few things that were GF, so there was some choice to be had (which was a relief!) It was a great place for a cream tea. The scones I ordered were also very delicious. Service was a little slow (maybe because it was busy?) but it was otherwise perfect and we would definitely go again.

Very underwhelming. Very expensive for what you get. Sandwich was nice but nearly £15? Diet Coke £4 and tasted awful from a pump, returned it and had a Prosecco instead. All in all nothing special and definitely not Grand

Very disappointing. Coffee and walnut cake stodgy, wanted to change dessert but refused. Wanted to refund but refused. Poor customer service. This is my first review of any cafe , restaurant or bar. Overpriced and under quality. There are better in Oxford!

Centrally located venue. Had lunch- soup, tart and salad. Really tasty. Coffee good. Not rushed, although popular. Excellent toilets. The cakes looked great, didn’t try.

On a cold morning, the cafe was not warm or cosy. The staff were all very pleasant. The coffee - one espresso, one flat white - nothing special.

Really disappointed to have to resort to leaving a TripAdvisor review to try and gain a response from The Grand Cafe, Oxford. Gift vouchers ordered on 31st December 2023 and paid the additional £4 postal delivery to ensure the voucher was received in time for an upcoming birthday. I have been calling the number multiple times a day since 3rd January and it goes to voicemail after ringing. I also submitted an online form via the website enquiring about the gift vouchers. I then also emailed the cafe directly requesting a response within 48 hours as my money has been taken but no vouchers. Today the 11th Jan a First Class stamped address envelope arrived with one voucher in it which has clearly been torn out of a voucher booklet( no apology or compliment slip)It is disappointing to pay £4 for delivery for it not to be received for a further 12 days. It is even more disappointing to be sent the voucher ( unboxed etc) in an envelope with a First Class stamp only. I would like to request a call please with The Grand Cafe following a response to this message. I have also messaged via Instagram.

S’il est une tradition britannique que l’on doit absolument inscrire à la liste des choses à faire lors d’une visite en Angleterre, c’est bien celle du « Afternoon Tea ». Le thé de l’après-midi est pour les familles britanniques, de tous les niveaux sociaux, un véritable culte. Servi dans le boudoir ou au salon, le thé est souvent accompagné de scones, de cakes, de muffins, de fruits de saison ou de fruits secs, ainsi que de confitures et de crème fraîche épaisse (clotted cream). Certains y ajoutent même des sandwichs au saumon, au cheddar, au cresson et au concombre, des pâtisseries et des sablés écossais au beurre (shortbreads). Nous avons profité de notre passage à Oxford pour intégrer cette activité à notre agenda de la journée. C’est au populaire « The Grand Cafe », situé au cœur d’Oxford au 84 de la rue The High, que nous sommes allés pour pratiquer ce rite. Très bel édifice, classé au patrimoine (Grade II), tant à l’intérieur qu’à l’extérieur, qui aurait accueilli en 1650 l’un des premiers cafés d’Angleterre. Au fil des ans, ce bâtiment a abrité un café, une auberge, un hôtel, une épicerie, une coopérative et un bureau de poste. Le Grand Café a été ouvert en 1997. Très bon service. Nous avons adoré notre expérience.

This is not an old cafe. It looks promising from outside but hugely disappointing decor within. The decor is actually hideous. I ordered a mille feuille. It was old to the point that the cream was turning to cheese. I had never seen anything like it. I complained but the staff informed me that they do not refunds or exchanges! I had an appointment straight after so I had to eat something and go. I ate less than half the cake, yet it made me feel quite ill. The prices were eye watering. It was a shocking experience. I am surprised this place hasn't been shut down. An inspection is in order. Spare yourself the abuse and go somewhere that values and respects their customers. This is a tourist trap.

Sadly I did not have the best experience. Went with some friends and although the food tastes delicious and the staff was nice I have two complains. 1. BE CAREFUL IF YOU HAVE GLUTEN INTORERANCE OR CELIAC!! I have celiac and ordered a GF tart. (Asked for glutenfrie food when we sat down.) What I got was a glutenfree tart on a bed of salsas and croutons with gluten!! I had to send it back, and the staff was nice with it, but yes, be careful and ask!! I also have a suspicion the saus on the tart had gluten in it… 2. Splitting the bill was horrible. Not staff’s fault at all! As I said, they were nice. But the café only allows one card per table and you have to figure out the service tax yourself when splitting the bill. Poor organisation.

In Oxford mid-morning prompted me to call in for coffee and a scone at this beautiful cafe. At the time of ordering I asked for a fruit scone with just butter, no cream or jam. The scone - one that I would consider to be normal size and not the oversized ones that are so common these days - was delivered with a couple of small pats of butter and was delicious as was the coffee. My shock came with the bill - £8.95 for a small scone with butter!! I was told that was the fixed price whether it was with cream etc or not, though I think you will agree that would still be overpriced. I have worked in retail catering over many years and know how much it costs to produce one scone and what a reasonable mark up is. The Grand Cafe is fleecing its customers.

Do not visit. The beautiful interior belies the appalling quality of the experience: overpriced, poor quality, tasteless "millefeuille" (the pastry was like wet cardboard and the creme patissiere bland to the point of non-existence.) A hot chocolate, a Mocha and a single cake took 15 minutes to appear in a practically empty cafe. Both drinks were tepid. When we explained our disappointment (we could not eat the "millefeuille") the member of staff was unreceptive, unpleasantly defensive: "No-one else has complained".......... "What do you want me to do? Pay for it myself?"..........and frankly rude. Read the reviews before you enter. Avoid this rip-off establishment at all costs. Go to the Queen's Lane Coffee House opposite......good food, good value, great staff; a competent business.

I used to like this place, but with the general hard times, the experience has changed. Now they won’t let you sit down until you tell them how much you will spend. Their food and service is not good enough for this kind of treatment.

Went today for a breakfast, chose this place over several others due to its “oldest cafe in England” salespitch and it’s lovley decor, that’s the good bits over with. We ordered a full English (£13.50) and salmon on bagel (£13.50) and two lattes. We couldn’t finish the food. The salmon was off around the edges (dry and brown) and the dry up was disgusting. Staff are rude and not interested. DO NOT BOTHER!

For such a historic and well rated cafe in Oxford it was awfully disappointing. This venue has such potential but it rests on its historic laurels and it need not do so as it’s so easily redeemed.Firstly, it needs a chef to review its menu and raise the bar on its food. They had difficulty serving a good chicken salad and jam and scones and tea dish. That is hard to do but they were quite ordinary across the board. You should also set your bar so high that people buy your goods to take home. Go visit La Glacé in Copenhagen to understand your potential. Secondly, get a graphic artist to do the artwork on your menu and please don’t put it in plastic. Actually research your history and let people read a page or two on it as they enjoy your food. Your menu should incorporate your history.Thirdly, throw out the cheap crockery with the scribbling of oldest tea house on the cups and saucers. It’s awful. Get some quality crockery so you can actually have a consistent experience befitting your history. Lastly, get a designer in and please reset the interiors. They look tired, the table layout is cramped and disorderly and you can easily do better with just a touch more effort. Please read this and redouble your efforts. I hate writing poor reviews, this review is a guide on how to easily redeem yourself.

It looks very lovely from the outside however….very cramped inside. Ridiculously overpriced - £5 for a mint tea, £8 for a coffee, £6.50 for an eclair which was small and very average. Felt completely ripped off

Came here on a trip to oxford and we wanted a cream tea. One staff member was sat at the bar having a coffee on her phone as we came in and we were ignored despite a sign saying “wait here to be seated” the cream tea took a good half an hour to come even though we could see it on the side for at least 20 mins. Cream tea for three people came with one tiny pot of cream and jam. When we asked for more (knowing it wouldn’t be enough) we were told the pot would have to be empty before refill. Within seconds we had emptied the pot and there was no staff member in sight for a refill so we had to go up to the bar causing our scones to go cold (how very British of me) the staffs attitude when bringing over the extra cream and jam was something else. As if she had to milk the cow to get it for us. When it came to the bill we were asked to pay it as one as she was “busy” we politely declined and asked to split four ways. She was clearly not happy about this and huffed and puffed. After we had paid she was leaving up against the till doing nothing…very busy! Don’t waste your money here.

We visited here and asked for a vegetarian afternoon tea. We were told we couldn’t have one as it was a set menu. The only thing we couldn’t eat was one of the sandwiches, that contained smoked salmon. The other sandwich was egg Mayo. We asked if we could have 2 of these instead, or any other veggie sandwich on the menu (there were several). The waitress, who was helpful, went to ask the chef. He said no, we’d have to have a cream tea instead. We didn’t want a cream tea so we left. Their website says they’re vegetarian friendly - they weren’t today.

Amazing decor and service, food was very nice also would definitely return. Toilet facilities where very clean.

From the outside this place looks lovely, and the fact that it’s the oldest coffee house in England certainly gives it some charm. However, that’s where it ends. It’s very cramped, and filled with tatty, broken chairs. There is no baby change facility or high chair available. The service is extremely poor - the manager is very rude, and one waitress didn’t speak any English at all. We ordered a cafetière for two, after waiting 20 mins to order, then were told 10 mins later that we weren’t allowed to have two cups. We said we’d order something else instead, and then the previously ordered cafetière turned up anyway, with one broken cup and saucer. We had to plead just to get a second cup, and was eventually given another broken cup with no saucer. Coffee was nothing special and cost £8 for one small pot! This cafe is totally dependent on its history as it has absolutely nothing to offer to anyone.

I saw some different reviews - well, it takes all sorts: we enjoyed our lunch. We had the meat and fish platters, which were traditional and perfectly fine. Teas were good. The whole experience was very pleasant for us and we thought we'd come again. The cuisine isn't setting the world alight but we were not disappointed, nor did we think it was overpriced.

I really wanted to like this place... it's a lovely, high-ceilinged venue, but the food was way overpriced and pretty mediocre (we had a cream tea -- scones which came with a small quantity of cheap generic 'red' jam and cream and one pot of tea between us and the bill was around £26 for the two of us). The overall impression was of a business that just doesn't care about the quality of food/service or value for money, and one that relies on hiked-up prices and tourist appeal to keep going. This is so sad... there are many other cafes in Oxford that deserve your custom so much more.

Called in for tea and coffee with a view of returning for 'high tea', later in the afternoon.Very small, but nice old fashion, sort of art-deco type tea room. Maybe as you would expect.Abbi had English Breakfast tea. I ordered Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.Abbi's tea had a floral scent - not expected or normal. My coffee was 'wishi-washi', and virtually flavourless. Was really disappointed from 'a premium coffee', especially at £15. Needless to say, we didn't return for 'high tea'

We went here as I read an article that said thus was one of the best places for tea/coffee I'm Oxford. It's not. The building is beautiful but the furniture is shabby, the bar is worn and there are incongruous pub style chalked signs everywhere. On top of that it was dramatically overpriced - £34 for 4 drinks and 3 cakes. The cakes weren't even very good. My wife is a cake maker and she should know. Take a photo outside but don't bother going in.

I took my mum here as it was a pre-birthday trip and to say we were very disappointed and angry with the service is an understandment. We waited outside for 20 minutes which is not an issue but would have been nice to have been informed by staff how long we would have been expected to wait. Once inside we were first offered a big table because we were eating but next thing we were being taking over to a small table. You could tell straight away that the waitress had an attitude & wasn’t very professional at all. We ordered 2 carrots cakes (which was the best part of the whole dire experience) we ordered a pot of English breakfast tea to share and straight away both me and my mum noticed that the tea tasted vile. It tasted like soap & when we called the waitress over and told her she shrugged her shoulders as if to say it was our problem and that it was English breakfast tea? I’m shocked I have never received this type of service. My mum even asked if they could replace it with a coffee to which the waitress again shrugged and said go speak to the manager. We left it and after finishing the cake with a horrible feeling because we were worried we went to pay and they were still going to charge us for the tea to which I refused as it was not for drinking. They finally took the tea off but there was no remorse whatsoever and staff just kept shrugging shoulders as if it was our problem. Please avoid this “cafe”. The staff were rude. It’s overpriced. And it’s totally not worth the horrible experience we had.

I was really looking forward to coffee in the Grand Cafe - the first coffee house in the UK. Well! What a disappointment. Thumping music! Not serene as per their website. Over priced and the staff all had had their personalities stripped - not a smile amongst them all would not recommend, save your money and go elsewhere!

The word Grand in grand cafe implies luxury, good quality. Our experience did not match this. Polite waitress & clean, presentable cafe however food was poor quality. Coffee cups used for tea. Ordered soup which was average however the BLT sandwich was poor & terribly cooked. The bacon tasted and looked microwaved, inedible thick bacon fat & lots of fat inside the sandwich. Toasted sandwich would be more luxury but was only 40% toasted. No point slightly toasting- either leave as bread or fully toast. Poor quality thin bread. Poor quality watery tomato, very thin spread of mayonnaise. £11. Would happily spend that if matched luxury description on menu.The salad however was nice & a variety of salad leaves, cucumber, radish, peppers & better quality tomatoes.

Lazy inattentive staff. Very average, yet overpriced food. £11.50 for a cheese sandwich. There is better within yards. Avoid.

We went as a party of three on a quiet Monday afternoon. Inside is not as impressive as the naming would suggest - rather ordinary tables and uncomfortable seating. The waiters were pleasant enough. We ordered an eclair (£6.95 and tasted of nothing), three scones (two plain were fine, the fruit one was inedible as it was so dry that not even jam and cream could rescue it) two pots of tea and an iced coffee - this cost us £40. I wouldn't quibble with the price if the cakes had been good - they weren't. However, my chief issue was that in ordering my pot of tea I said, I don't take milk but could I have an extra pot of hot water please. When it appeared the tea pot itself was tiny and the extra hot water was contained in a tiny jug. When I asked very politely for another tea pot full of hot water as I like my tea very weak, the waiter went away, came back and said that I could only have it if I paid for another pot of tea. This is just not hospitality and smacks of greed which, in the current market, with an absence of foreign tourists, is going to cost them custom and reputation. I will never visit this place again and it will remain my benchmark for poor food (no interest when we said that one scone was inedible, let alone the hot water issue) or indeed over-pricing.

£11.95 for a brown slice sandwich, £4.50 for a presse, £3.50 for a double expresso which was a stewed filter coffee not freshly made., I could go on..... Overpriced and just a rip off.Use your feet read this and go elsewhere where they want your service at much better prices for example The Bodlean Library cafe.

Very disappointing. Inattentive, grumpy staff who did not interact at all with customers. Not even an apology when we were given the wrong bill, just a shrug and a grunt. Overpriced. Will not return.

Camareros racistas. El sitio es bonito pero las dos veces que he estado para llevar visitas nos han tratado mal. La primera vez no nos dejaban sentarnos sino pedíamos algo de comida, tuvimos que pedir comida y luego entraron ingleses que sólo pidieron te.

Wanted a light lunch. My wife had a smoked salmon and cream cheese& salad sandwich which was fine but £11.50. I particularly wanted soup and bread. Soup of the day was supposed to be tomato and red pepper but tasted like pureed tomatoes, microwaved. Which for £7.45 overpriced and not very good. Then they charged us 10% service without asking. Really overpriced, will go to Pret next time. But you will find a table, guess why

I don’t like to give a negative review following on from COVID as businesses try to recover. But on this occasion, things need addressing. After the attractive facade of the cafe, customer engagement was non-existent. There was a fella wandering around in his trunks and a t-shirt chewing gum like he owned the place - not sure if he was the owner or a manager but he was checking everyone’s orders and ordering staff around. There was next to no verbal communication from the staff and the food was poor. The Victoria Sandwich Cake was taken from under a glass dome but it was so warm it tasted like it had been there for weeks. The ice cream with honey and strawberries was half melted and tasted as if it had been thrown together in a kids’ cookery lesson. It was such an uncomfortable experience and I wouldn’t go back. Don’t be fooled by the fact that this gets featured in Lonely Planet’s Cotswolds book - because it isn’t worth bothering with. The description just doesn’t reflect what we actually found, and this seems to tally with other recent reviewers.

This small cafe has a limited menu but all dishes are very well presented and tasty. We were there for lunch, but it also has a good afternoon tea offering. Friendly service and clean bathrooms.

Tourist trap! Rude staff- tried to squeeze us in between 2 other tables as the other tables are apparently only for more people, said we only have 30min to sit and they’d ask us to leave if other people came in.. Overpriced for average coffee and cake. Not worth a visit at all, there are plenty of other coffee shops on the road.

Visited with 4 friends for coffee/tea. There were 2 staff, one brand new and one regular staff who was obviously irritated when we tried to pay and she ended up taking service charge out of my change with no apology. They were short staffed and it showed. I tried to express my disappointment but they were defensive, rude and refused to give their name. It lacked atmosphere , was overpriced and had loud music pumping out. What a shame. Not worth a visit at all. There are many other happy vibrant coffee shops to choose from so my advice is go there instead.

The service was very poor, the two staff seem under pressure and cannot cope, we had to wait ages to get served with no acknowledgement or apologies. It was not at all grand it was very disappointing ! The management should provide more staff as the two staff members were clearly very stressed which created the wrong atmosphere. On paying the bill, which became a very complicated farce, a non negotiable service charge was included even though our service was very inattentive, and disappointing.

This time we enjoyed our first BREAKFAST in the cafe and it was better than that served by many hotels, given they don't have a kitchen! Utterly heavenly quality! Superb as ever!

As the title suggests, the Grand Cafe just isn’t worth it on all fronts. The price point is way off (£11 for a sandwich and £4.50 for a small glass of juice), the service is very poor and the food is fine at best. Save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere.

We chose this cafe for its oldest cafe in the world claim and whilst it was very nice coffee,food and service I was a little let down by its lack of historical information both in the entrance and in the cafe in fact the only place I found any information was on the way to the toilets.

Tasty food, extremely polite and attentive waiting staff and beautiful surroundings. All in all a perfect lunch. This is just the second time we've visited Oxford and we've now visited the Grand Cafe on four occasions. Will definitely visit again in the future.

Very cramped inside looked bigger from outside as mirrors on wall. When I asked if sandwich could be made gluten free was told no and offered carrot cake. Service quite slow and has to squeeze between tables to use toilets

Absolutely brilliant food, coffee and service from all the staff - a bit pricey but it is to be expected. The coffee was for sure the best part for me.

Very disappointed- went with a friend for afternoon tea but wish we hadn’t. Scones dry and poor quality, jam with no sign of actual fruit in it, just a jelly like substance.Very small and cramped table in a corner.Honestly there was nothing good about the place other than good service from a pleasant waitress.Will not return and cannot recommend.

Like others we saw the sign outside saying it was the "First ever coffee shop in England" so we went inside. Once there you see a slightly different sign saying it "stands on the site of the oldest coffee house in England". Not the same thing at all. Then you look out of the window. The cafe opposite, Queens Lane Coffee House, boasts it is "the oldest continually working coffee house – not only in Oxford but the whole of Europe". Who do you believe?Regardless of the history, The Grand Cafe ain't. Grand that is. I paid £11.50 (all the sandwiches are the same price) for a bone dry chicken and pesto sandwich served with some ordinary crisps and a splodge of salad. Service from our waitress was pleasant enough. She deserves to work in a better place, frankly.Although I've not eaten in them all, obviously, I'd be willing to wager that any other place in Oxford would offer better value. My advice is to take pictures from the outside, then go someplace, anyplace else!

Horrible experience.Bad food, bad service. We ask for an extra cup (just a cup) and they said no. Moreover, we could taste that the food was microwaved. The water tasted really bad. And the food was pricy.The place was jam packed, it definitively did not follow covid regulations.The setting is lovely, but the tables were very uncomfortable. We were 5 of us, and they made us sit at a table for four while other tables were available. We asked to be moved to another table, but they said no, saying that it was because of covid, but as I said above, they did not follow covid rules as the place was jam-packed.Definitively a tourist trap. I would never go back and would never recommend it.We addressed all of our complaints with the manager, but we was not opened at all. It offered us a 10% discount after arguing with him for 20 minutes and asking for the discount. Then, he took out the 10% by removing the SERVICE CHARGE!!! We just couldn't believe it!!

With crunched up tables, microwaved scones, grocery sandwiches, high teas have reached a new low. No regard for COVID-19, I wouldn't be surprised that this restaurants ends up shut down.

Just dont. The only good thing about this place is the decor. Everything else is bad; service, microwave food and overpriced.

On our visit to the Grand cafe we were seated at a table that was so cramped that we felt squashed against the wall. On asking a waitress that cd we move to a better table we moved only to be told off by a french waitress saying because of COVID we sdnt have moved tables . We tried to explain our situation but she did not want to hear anything from our side of the story . What was supposed to be an enjoyable afternoon was ruined . We felt like school children being scolded by a teacher in front of all the other customers. I will will never go to this cafe again . We chose cream teas the scones were cold and the fruit ones were so small compared to the plain ones . The tea was lovely we chose Earl grey . But there is a positive to this review hands up to one lovely waitress behind the counter she was so polite and looked after us .

I visited the place because I liked the selection of cakes they had and the place looked different. The scones were the best I tasted ever, the raspberry cake was perfect and not sweet at all. However the lady who served us started cleaning and taking the stuff away although I have not finished my tea. I had the tea cup in my hand but she took the pot away just cos we asked for the bill. I thought that was rude. Staff were definitely long customer service skills and the right training to be working at such a place.

Cute little cafe. Claims to be the oldest coffee shop in England. Great afternoon tea with good selection of sandwiches, amazing scones and petite fours. Elegant interiors and good service. Particularly liked the freshly baked scones with clotted cream and jam.

We always tend to have lunch here when in Oxford, usually very busy, however covid appears to have had effect on Trade as was quiet the Sandwiches were up to their usual standard I hope things get busier for them

I had attempted to email this to their website and was greeted with ' EROOR' so no possible to submit....Dear management, we had a lunch for three on Sun 23.05.2021. The 'kebab' was NOT' with grilled vegetables' as blonde waitress announced, but 'a kebab made of raw veggies' and tasteless, no seasoning salad, and no taste, running watery humous. this was a day meal.Other alternative was a RIssotto ( vegetarian).So , two mals of the day - were vegetarian, but, the way waotress presented - as as if KEn=babb was accomponied by a griled veggies.The veggies arrived on a skewers - only piece of mushroom was cooked, teh 2 x pieces of butternusquash were rare, unckooked, the green brocoolu was rare and also served with long part steam of even more rare brockoli steam.......The dish supposed to come with TOFYU - i counted 5 x barely 1 x 1 sm cubes.The Houmus was eloquently on the side dish - but it was sour, tasteless ( no garlic, no pepper, no seasoning to it - just runny mess - you get better from supermarket). this Kebab dish was at £12.95 , by the way.No seasoning to the salad, some leaves of which were brown sided. We had to wait until she finishes serving other 2 x tables to ask for the salad seasonning... which divided on side salads between us 23 - was nothing. Our teenager woofed the small £12.95 sandwich and left unappetising dry salad on the side. the food is no worth the monies you claim for it. waitresses mumble something in broken English .... bless them,... I asked to top up coffee with a little of hot water after my ' uncooked veggie kebab' - it turned up to be filled up to the top - like a tea.....brrr..I have just attempted to email the Grand Cafe direct on their websit e- and upon attemptign to submit - recived ' eroor to submit.Say it all.The sandwiched- a small pocket of a standard white £49.000 bread with dry salad on the side cannot justify their £11.95 or 312.95 mark price either.Speechless.No qualityquestionable for consumption runny humours, salad leaves with brown veggies.....the place probably ranked it's value through their bread sandwiches, stuck in time, there are complaints of the quality of their sconces in house..... time for consumers to make them brink their level of hospitality up or to be close down if neccessary.

We chose this place as it looked nice on the inside and is known to be one of the oldest cafes in Oxford. We were not impressed by the service one single bit. We kindly asked if we could be moved to a bigger table as our table was too small for the 3 of us but they refused our request despite there being many empty tables many of which were still empty by the we had left. We had all asked for plain scones in our afternoon tea but they still served us with fruit scones. When we made them aware of THEIR mistake they decided to call the chef out as though we were the ones causing an issue. How hard is it to take an order correctly? The scones were awful, tasted more like a soft bread roll than a scone. I can safely say I wont be going back in a rush to this café when I revisit Oxford.

I struggle to believe the negative reviews here. We have visited 1-2/yr since it opened and have only ever been impressed!Staff are all masked, tables socially distanced, promptly sanitized between use & the toilets spotless.Staff are friendly & attentive.Food EXCELLENT.- nothing else needs to be said!

I notice that many of the reviews are negative on this site about this cafe. I'm not surprised. For the princely sum of £7 we ordered a takeaway coffee and hot chocolate and it was served lukewarm and tasteless - probably one of the worst coffee qualities of my life. I feel compelled to report this to warn other customers or else how will this establishment take notice and get its act together . Extremely expensive and obvious before the pandemic living off the glory days of thousands of tourists flocking to a historical Oxford cafe. Well, the truth is out. Rubbish and not good value. Time to change.

Don’t bother going here when you can get far better coffee elsewhere in Oxford . Rubbish coffee and poor service with ghastly curled up sandwiches in the window to entice you ( not !)

Very slow and inattentive service and a non negotiable service charge. We were drawn in by the lovely decor of the place and the inviting pastries and cakes in the window but felt very let down. Shared a high tea with my youngest son and were refused an extra cup to share the tea. Also watched the staff ‘clean’ tables after usage and not use any disinfectant or cleaning products. Prices very high for the quality of the food. Disappointing visit.

Visited with friends as an historic cafe. Between us we had coffee, beer, cocktails and cakes. The ladies thought the cakes were super delicious !!

We decided to go to the Grand Cafe while we stopped off in Oxford on our way home from the Peak District. We had intended to have coffee and something to eat, but while having coffee we swiftly changed our mind. It was freezing cold as they had the door open and said they couldn't close it as the new Covid rules state they have to remain open. It's a shame they don't have the same attitude to implementing the social distancing rules. They have made absolutely no effort to put social distancing in place whatsoever. The tables are so close together and on top of each other and there was no effort to take our details for track and trace either. The only good thing for us was that it was practically empty so we paid the bill and made a quick exit. If, like us, you're following the Covid rules then this place is not for you.

Paramos aquí para almorzar un sándwich y té. Sándwich un poco caro a las 11. 50 pero era generoso con ensalada y patatas fritas. El personal llevaba máscaras, pero demasiadas mesas que las hacían demasiado juntas no era un buen distanciamiento. ¡Estaba ocupado! Precioso edificio, cafetería popular. Volvería otra vez.

No me sentí seguro. Absolutamente no es posible un distanciamiento social, parecen estar abarrotando a tantos clientes como sea posible, lo que significa que tienes que trepar por encima de otras mesas y meseros para entrar o salir. Es realmente peligroso. Es una pena porque el servicio es excelente y los bollos estaban frescos y calientes del horno.

We tried this cafe because of its historical value as was the first cafe opened in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately the service was a bit poor, with Kleenex under the tables to keep them stable and hasty and unfriendly staff.

He estado aquí dos veces y el servicio me pareció muy lento y el personal indiferente. Después de llegar a casa y mirar el recibo, descubrí que incluso me habían cobrado por un pastel que no tenía.Establecimiento completamente sobrevalorado. Supongo que se las arregla con su historia. .

A medida que se acerca, la exageración de la "primera cafetería en Inglaterra" y su elegante exterior prometen grandes cosas. En el interior, estaba razonablemente tranquilo. La camarera, aunque razonablemente amable, murmuró algo sobre tener que pedir comida antes de darnos una mesa. Pedimos un té de menta y un lapsang souchon en un decididamente ambicioso 3. 95 cada uno y sopa a las 7. 45. La sopa estaba bien, ni mala ni espectacular y no vale la pena el dinero. El lapsang era bueno, pero el té de menta era como agua y tenía tierra en el fondo. Esto fue devuelto y reemplazado por té de lavanda, más sabor pero amargo y como meter la boca en los cajones del dormitorio de su abuela.La mayor preocupación, más allá de los altos precios, es que no se tomaron detalles de seguimiento y rastreo y las mesas estaban a menos de un metro de distancia. Este lugar no es seguro para Covid y debe revisar sus políticas con urgencia.Limpiaron la mesa antes de que yo terminara el té y nos entregaron la cuenta. La razón quedó clara cuando nos fuimos. Había dos personas haciendo cola afuera y querían nuestra mesa. No es hábil ni profesional en absoluto.

A decent coffee but not a hint of social distancing. I wonder why they take such an appalling attitude. Anyhow, it’s off the list.

De hecho, es divertido hasta cierto punto. Si yo fuera camarero allí, no podría mirar a los ojos a los clientes mientras les ofrezco que pidan té. ¿Por qué? Porque ese "té de la tarde" es lo más parecido al té que he tenido para ser elegido diputado de Gran Bretaña. La "merienda inglesa" con un precio de casi 20 libras consta de: 2 bollos y cuatro "sándwiches". ¿Por qué "sándwiches"? Porque 4 sándwiches son del tamaño de los sándwiches de Tesco cortados por la mitad. Muuuy. . Dos bollos, dos sándwiches más comunes y 1 bebida, además de dos cosas extra pequeñas de chocolate: 20 libras en una bandeja de dos niveles de gran tamaño. ¿Por qué sobredimensionado? Porque parece que no tiene casi nada. Además, si desea compartirlo, deberá comprar una segunda bebida. Así que todo este placer de grandeza le llegará a 24 libras. Mi pareja y yo nos reímos en silencio cuando trajeron esta cosa que vale 20 libras. No puedo extender lo suficiente cuánto no vale la pena el precio de esta cosa.

I went along with a friend for her birthday on Saturday. When we arrived the building was very quiet but within minutes the place was rammed, tables were almost in top of each other and you were almost touching people on the next table. No track and trace details were requested and as far as I can see they did not follow any guidelines apart from staff wearing masks. I’m not going to review the food or service as I feel people should not be using this establishment at the moment. Stay away, it’s places like this which will cause the next spike!

I recently visited The Grand Cafe with my boyfriend, and although the cafe was not busy and many tables were available, we waited for a while at the entrance and multiple staff just ignored us. when we were seated, we both ordered soft drinks and were told in the future we would need to order food too if we wanted to stay. Our drinks took a while to arrive, and were extremely overpriced - £8 for a cordial and a tea! When I received the bill we did not receive 50% off even though the eat out to help out scheme was being advertised at the entrance.

Visited early so no reservation required.lovely building , nice environment. Staff friendly. Food was good full breakfast not huge but just right for me scrambled eggs really creamy n gorgeous. Coffee good but over £20 for cafetieres for 3 people. Overall lovely breakfast but overpriced.

We arrived without a booking on a midweek day in August. The cafe' was quite busy but we were shown to a corner table which had just been vacated. The waitress proceeded to flick a towel over the table top before seating us...no sanitisation whatsoever...this should have been a warning of what was to come. We ordered some platters, a sandwich and some bread with balsamic and oil. The latter arrived and was actually a piece of toast cut into fingers from a pre-sliced supermarket loaf. At £4 this was the most expensive slice of toast I've ever been served!! We had asked for the sandwich to be toasted and were told that that was not possible as the kitchen would be 'overwhelmed' as it was not a sandwich from the toastie menu...The said sandwich (£11) arrived (once again cheap sliced supermarket bread) with the added bonus of a fly wedged in the filling. We pointed it out to the waitress who took it away and within 30 seconds 'returned with the same sandwich minus the fly. I then took things into my own hands and went to the counter where the sandwiches were being prepared and asked that a fresh sandwich be made. The chef obliged even though she insisted that they had changed the original sandwich. The platters were ok...although the cheese platter was basically slices of pre-packaged cheese as opposed to chunks of cheese that you would expect to be served on a platter. We put the sandwich episode behind us and ordered a selection of desserts and scones. They were ok. However, we felt that we were being observed by the staff and felt quite uncomfortable. Also the whole time we were eating we were constantly battling the flies and wasps that frequent the establishment.We asked for the bill and at this point my husband noticed that the male, dark haired waiter with glasses, told our server to add service to our bill. When the bill arrived I questioned why service had been added and the waitress replied 'because you are 5 people'. She looked around the table and realised her 'mistake'. We then watched as she went back to the counter and told the waiter 'I told you they would notice'. They then proceeded to return our change in coins, maybe as a way of getting back at us.We left with a sour taste in our mouth, wishing we had read the tripadvisor reviews. This is a prime example of a venue living off it's history, with no regard to customer satisfaction or Covid19 safety procedures. It is a beautiful venue, in a top class location, but sadly falling very short of the standards that it's name implies.

Very much smaller than the website would suggest. Very clean. Friendly staff. Although we arrived at 1145am we couldn't order breakfast which was a shame as i had my heart set on the granola and yogurt. Mum and i had fruit scones (one each) and two cups of coffee each, so as delightful as the place is and the history is long - £22 felt a bit steep.

Had a really nice afternoon tea, like the way the massive mirrors make the space inside look bigger than what it actually is, it was very busy but service was very quick and the staff are very polite.

One of the reasons I opted for this café was because it is one of the oldest in Europe. The decoration remains a classic charm, which does contrast with modern music. The cakes were good, the double espresso was watered down, to serve a double espresso you must add some more coffee. The bathroom without toilet paper.

No social distancing or COVID processes in place. No track or trace. Sat down and decided against eating here as it didn’t feel safe or clean and after looking at prices and reading the reviews I’m glad we didn’t bother

Didn’t realise this is such a historical site to hang out - the site of the oldest coffee shop known in England (featured in Pepys diary). Dropped in for their famous High Tea - £20 per head although we found an order for 2 heads fed all four of us comfortably. No bookings - just turn up and try your luck.

Nice selection of cakes and pastries and a couple of seats outside to watch the world go by. Plenty of seats inside. Decent coffee and not ridiculously expensive. Good polite service. Covid plans in place.

Came here for my birthday and I loved it. Beautiful interior and really enjoyed the food and cakes! Staff all wearing masks too. It did take a little while for everything to arrive as drinks were served alongside the food but overall a good experience

Whilst the building itself might be a great location, and look great, the cafe itself is terrible. There was no real consideration of the current COVID situation, one hand sanitiser by the door and that was it. There was no social distancing, staff were not wearing masks, and not once did I see a member of staff wash or sanitise their hands, despite witnessing one member of staff pick something up off the floor outisde and put the object in the bin. To be honest I wish I had walked out instead of sitting through the experience of eating an overpriced sandwich in a cafe which didn't feel clean. The service was slow, for some reason it took 20 minutes for them to bring two diet cokes but two cocktails which were ordered by another table after us arrived before our drinks did. I didn't use the toilets but was informed by my mum who did that the toilets were not clean at all. The food itself is ok, but most definitely not worth £15 for a sandwich and coke. My advice is to steer well clear of this cafe, you'll just end up disappointed.

Turned up on a rainy day hoping to get some coffee , got turned away after we said we'd like to just have drinks inside. Why not start doing bookings for peak times instead of turning people away so rudely? The turkish tea place opposite was much more welcoming!

We decided to have breakfast at the Grand Cafe as the architecture and history of the place got our attention. However food was terrible (dry sausages, dry bacon, poor quality bread...) and definitely overpriced - one of the most expensive breakfasts we've had. The service was quite plain and poor. It seems like they are relying on their own history as the oldest coffee house in England, but unfortunately the are not meeting the expectations here at all.

It’s a great location, great architecture - but somehow manages to have all the problems of a chain without the advantages of any particular pride in their shop. Coffee OK - but nothing special

Service was slow - we ordered coffee and it came lukewarm and in plastic used paper cups. They replaced the coffee with hot coffee (thanks - very polite waiter) - but said the owner had decided that we couldn’t use real cups outside. Shame.

We both opted for sandwiches but were advised that one with salt beef could be toasted but the cheese and ham could not be for some reason, really see no idea why this was the case. These both consisted of generic brand bread and contained an absurd amount of margarine, not even butter. Both were served with a very small salad and stale unseasoned crisps. We were going to get a scone afterwards but were so disappointed we didn't bother especially seeing as the two sandwiches and a bottle of water already turned out to be nearly £30. Would not recommend. Also uncomfortably hot inside.

This exquisite little marble and glass room is THE place to stop for a coffee and a pastry. Their Flat White beat out any I've had before and their Citron Tart was to die for, perfectly sharp lemon topped with perfectly sweet, marshmellowy fluffiness, on top of a lovely firm base. Simply the best and much more than just a tourist stop as England's first coffee house.

Stopped off here on a Sunday afternoon in mid March, before the shutdown began. Beautiful interior, mirrors everywhere, very art deco. We only had two fresh scones and tea for two, having to pay for an extra pot, which was really only a slightly bigger pot that was topped up with some hot water, but this came to more than £18. A little pricey really for what you got, would not go back as after we left, several other cafes on the High Street we passed were better value for similar afternoon tea deals.

Let me preface this by saying that the interior of the place is amazing.The service however has been extremely poor. You’re being feeling unwelcome if you don’t make multiple orders in a short period of time, and you’re being told you cannot use tablets/computers after a while - which, if like me, you got there to do some important meeting review, negotiation preparation, whatever, it’s like you’re being told to piss off.

Having read the history of the Grand Cafe and having seen the amazing building we were disappointed to be turned away because we only wanted a coffee At just 1130am on a quiet Saturday morning with loads of empty seats we wandered across the road

I visited this restaurant for tea and cake. I ordered peach tea which was delicious. It's a bit pricey there but worth visiting.

I visited Sunday 23/02/20 with my husband and daughter. It was quiet, kitchen staff cannot have been overworked. We ordered the meat platter and the cheese platter. The meat was average, the cheese came in supermarket slices and was dried out. As was the chutney. The menu mentioned seeded brown bread, we got crisps and toast. Without explanations or apologies. Otherwise the ambiance, service, and the tea was fine. But we got the impression The Grand Café rests on its laurels and benefits from its High Street location and fancy history, selling overpriced average food. Perhaps better for a tea or coffee with a piece of cake, instead of lunch?

Un-busy staff unable to put two tables together to accommodate 6 of us - so crammed us together at a little table next to the front door.

We stopped here for a quick lunch while looking round the Oxford colleges. The decor was lovely and was a very individual cafe. The food was nice but didn't justify the high price tag of 11.50 for a sandwich.